Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Another Surf Shop in OC


Jack’s Surfboards, founded in 1957, is one of the granddaddies of the surf industry, and it continues to get praise as one of the most high-profile specialty retailers in surf. In 2006, the Huntington Beach, California based retail chain won the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association 2006 Image award for “Best Retailer.” Jack’s recently debuted its sixth store, located at the Oak Creek Village Center at 5581 Alton Parkway in Irvine, Calif.

Not the best time to be opening new retail locations. Hope it makes it!

www.jackssurfboards.com

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Erica Dee Goes Online


Erica Dee, a 7-year-old shop that brought contemporary fashion and boutique retail to the Corona Del Mar section of Newport Beach, California, will close in January. Owner Erica Dee Thomas said she was paying more than $20,000 in rent each month for more than 5,000 square feet in the exclusive area. “We have the wealthiest clientele in the world,” Thomas said about Corona Del Mar. “But the 2008 economy has affected them, too.”

Thomas made the decision to close her contemporary store Erica Dee and Erica Dee Kids after her landlord balked at renegotiating her rent. However, once the doors of Erica Dee’s physical stores close, she will open an e-commerce store at www.ericadee.com. She said the move will free her from paying heavy rent and some labor costs. She said she might open another physical store after the economy improves.

Sad to see another great boutique close along PCH in South Orange County. Note the photo on their website (also above) shot along PCH at Crystal Cove State Park between Laguna Beach and CDM.

How To Dress - Cabo


Upcoming trip to Cabo San Lucas and you just don't know what to wear? Visit Intermix's online store and they will make packing easy. The online boutique, which is just as hip as their stores across the country, recommends the best caftan's, bikinis and even hotels for your jaunt to warmer weather. To shop click here.

Cabo and Palmilla Resort details click here.

What We Want Now


Tory Burch Perah Tee
A cute soft cotton jersey tee, perfect with shorts or jeans this spring. Part of the Tory Burch Resort Collection, it comes in Watermelon and White. A perfect top for that bohemian look. To see more details, click here.

Louis Vuitton Beachwear


Need a Winter escape? Let Louis Vuitton inspire you. Always an arbiter of luxury, their beachwear collection is chock full of lavish swimsuits and accessories. The landscapes and color trickery make for a cool campaign. Shot in Rio — oh, Rio — the models lounge around in LV style. Must be nice . . .

To get a look at the collection click here.

Celebs on Vaca


Pop start and stand out artist of 2008, Katy Perry hits the sands of Mexico this holiday. To see more click here.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Straight to DVD...Surfer, Dude


"Love and waves, that's what we need in these dark days."

Would you believe that actor Matthew McConaughey stared in a movie that went straight to DVD? McConaughey's new movie, Surfer, Dude, is bypassing movie theaters and being released direct to DVD tomorrow and is available for $20.99 on Amazon.

How is it possible that McConaughey just starred in a movie about a pot-smoking wave rider and no one knew about it? Two weeks ago, Dude showed in an Austin theater to a dismal $6,000 before expanding to 69 screens, including a bunch of seaside locales. Its total gross at press time: $36,497.

What happened? Seems Dude was little more than a $6 million passion project for the actor, and even the promise of his shirtless surfing couldn't entice studios to release it -- especially since we all see the same thing on Internet blogs every day. So he turned to Anchor Bay, a direct-to-DVD company that gave it a limited theatrical run with no TV ads to support it. That was probably a good idea: Dude's Metacritic score is a depressing 16 out of 100, which proves that no amount of pecs appeal could have saved this wipeout.

Buy it now on Amazon.com. Woody Harrelson also stars in the film.

Create Your Own Polo


The Ralph Lauren website is already showcasing their famous polo's in summer's bright colors. Visit their website to customize your polo color and choose from 5 new monograms now available.

Though most of you are far from thinking about summer and shopping for the season, spring break is just around the corner!

www.ralphlauren.com

Thieves make off with Madoff's Palm Beach yard sculpture

The New York Post taunted Palm Beacher Bernard Madoff with this report Sunday: "How does it feel, Bernie?"

Swindler extraordinaire Bernard Madoff got a taste of his own medicine last weekend when a burglar stole a $10,000 statue from his posh, $9.4 million Palm Beach estate, according to a police report.

Indeed, the housekeeper reported a copper statue of two lifeguards seated on a bench missing from the yard Monday, Dec. 22.

The Palm Beach Police incident report indicates the statue, valued at $10,000, went missing between 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19 and 11:30 a.m. that Monday - about a week after the Wall Street money manager was accused of scamming investors in a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

Madoff is confined to his $7 million Park Avenue apartment under house arrest.

The statue is still missing, and an investigation continues, Palm Beach police officials said this morning.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

How To Dress - Turks & Caicos


Upcoming trip to Turks & Caicos and you just don't know what to wear? Visit Intermix's online store and they will make packing easy. The online boutique, which is just as hip as their stores across the country, recommends the best caftan's, bikinis and even hotels for your jaunt to warmer weather. To see it all visit www.intermixonline.com.

Turks & Caicos details: http://www.intermixonline.com/category/shop+by+trend/resort09.do

Sunday, December 21, 2008

December Beach Days


A beautiful Sunday in Pacific Palisades!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

C&C California Sale


For 5 days only, C&C California is offering 50% off all regular price, sale and clearance items. Visit their website for special deals on their famous t-shirts and California casual wear for men, women and kids. The sales runs through December 23rd.

http://www.candccalifornia.com

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Dubai Hotel Releases 'Etiquette Guide'


Affter a beach sex scandal, one of Dubai’s most popular beach hotels has issued an "etiquette guide" to guests. Last month, a British couple was convicted for having sex on the beach near the hotel.

The etiquette guides, which suggest the hotel’s guests could be arrested for inappropriate public displays of affection, are left on tables during the weekly brunch event at the Madinat Jumeirah hotel.

The guests should "employ discretion" in expressing affection publicly, says the hotel, with "anything more than a peck on the cheek" likely to result in police involvement.

Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors were convicted of having sexual intercourse outside marriage and offending public decency. They received three-month jail sentences, were fined about $300 for drunkenness and ordered to be deported from Dubai on their release. More than 230 other Britons were arrested in the UAE last year.

On the subject of drunkenness, the hotel’s etiquette guide warns: "Drinking is not a part of Muslim culture and alcohol is not served openly. Drunken behavior, especially outside licensed premises in the hotel, is severely punished."

For more on the story, visit the report by The London Times: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/news/article5132581.ece

Warming Winter Getaway's


With the relaxed hours of summer having all but past and the frigid winter weather setting in, our minds can’t help but wander to thoughts of a warm getaway. With so many warm destinations to choose from, and so few days to take off, we looked around the world to find some of the most luxurious hotels and resorts to escape to. So silence your BlackBerry, buy a new pair of shades and start pricing out airfare. Here are a few high end beach getways we'd love to take this winter:

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

Spread over two islands that are linked together by a 500-meter walkway, the Conrad Maldives resort is surrounded by a blue lagoon and coral reef, making it the ultimate tropical paradise to indulge in. With accommodations on both Rangali and Rangalifinohlu islands, guests can choose to stay in a Beach Villa, complete with its own private garden and plunge pool, or in a Water Villa, built on stilts over the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean. Recently re-branded as a Conrad property, the resort offers seven restaurants and three bars on-site, not to mention two different spas including The Spa Retreat and the Over-Water Spa, both featuring a variety of holistic treatments to try. Guests at the Conrad Maldives also have access to different types of water sports, private yacht excursions, even a glass-bottomed boat ride. After a day at the spa or at the beach, check out the Wine Cellar, a restaurant with over 800 wines to choose from.

Flight Time from NYC: Approximately 15-18 hours
Must-Do: Make a reservation to dine at Ithaa, the resort’s all-glass underwater restaurant, the first of its kind in the world.



Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai

As the first resort to open its doors in Dubai, Atlantis, The Palm is already setting the bar high. The 1,539-room resort is unlike any other — there are 17 on-site restaurants (including Nobu, opened by sushi mogul Nobuyuki Matsuhisa and Robert DeNiro), a variety of luxury boutiques to shop in and water entertainment that rivals an authentic deep-sea adventure. Guests will love the Aquaventure water park featuring seven water slides, two of which catapult riders through shark-filled lagoons. In addition to that, there is the Ambassador Lagoon, a marine habitat and underwater exhibit that is home to several hundred species of marine life; the Lost Chambers, a maze of underground tunnels that help bring the myth of Atlantis to life and Dolphin Bay, a dolphin education and conservation center.

Flight Time from NYC: Approximately 13 hours
Best Amenity: When making your reservation, ask to stay in the Lost Chambers Suites. The Suites are three stories high and offer mesmerizing views that look directly into the Ambassador Lagoon from the master bedroom, creating the illusion of being under the sea.



Fairmont Monte Carlo

Hey big spender, if an escape to Monte Carlo is calling your name, the Fairmont Hotel is the place to stay. Following an extensive refurbishment last year, the hotel’s original design has been completely updated, creating a tribute to the style of the Riviera, filled with glamour and Mediterranean colors. A landmark on the Côte d’Azur, the hotel features 619 rooms and suites, not to mention three restaurants and bars, a year-round heated swimming pool and the ever-popular, in-house Sun Casino. L’Argentin Restaurant is a can’t-miss, known for its South American cuisine and refreshing atmosphere. The hotel’s re-designed entrance is unique, accessible from one of the most famous hairpin bends in the world, and the renovated lobby features a suspension bridge that offers views over the Pointe de la Vigie, the open sea and the yachts that meet at the Port of Monaco.

Flight Time from NYC: Approximately 9 hours
Must-Do: Enjoy a drink at the new lobby bar Saphir, perfect for cocktails, a quick bite or a nightcap set to music.

Live Surf WebCams

Here are two links that provide live views of the surf from Laguna Beach to Malibu. Enjoy the view from your computer.

Laguna Beach WebCam - http://www.earthcam.com/usa/california/laguna/

WebCam links for LA beaches - http://www.SwellMagnet.com

Saturday, December 13, 2008

The Vanishing Mermaid

For thousands of years, sailors reported ocean sightings of beautiful fishtailed women frolicking in the waves, singing sweet music, and luring men to a briny demise. Ideas about the creatures have been perpetuated through the centuries, in everything from Homer's Odyssey to Arabian Nights to a number of Disney films. These great storytellers have captivated audiences around the world with mermaid mythology. No scaly-tailed seductress actually exists, of course. Instead, historians believe that the ancient sailors were enthralled by a strange aquatic creature that, although 10 feet long and 800 pounds, apparently reminded them of a women.

Known as a dugong, the animal exists in isolated colonies scattered through the oceans. But it may not exist for long, considering that it's listed variously as endangered, rare, depleted, and extinct. It's one of the planets least understood creatures, and may always be if not saved.

Fossils date the dugong's origins back to 50 million years ago, but mankind's knowledge of the animal is practically zero. Aside from the locations dugongs have been sighted at, where they live remains a mystery, as well as the exact number of them that are left. Aerial surveys of dugong population show that their numbers are on a step downhill slide. Scientists are saying it's time we start to pay more attention to dugongs, the original mermaids of the seas, before they are all gone.

Friday, December 12, 2008

New York Times: Daring Young Women Are on the Curl of a New Era


Women's surfing makes the front page of The New York Times Website! Read this great article about how women's professional surfing is changing the world of surfing.

“What’s happening in women’s surfing is pretty much the most exciting thing in surfing right now,” said Wayne Bartholomew, (president of the Association of Surfing Professionals).

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/sports/othersports/11surfing.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Sailing The Globe with Samatha Davies

Samantha Davies has completely stolen our hearts. She is a huge inspiration not only for European girls who sail but also for those in the U.S. Right now she is sailing the Vendee Globe, a sail race around the globe for single handlers without any stop overs. Watch her video log and read daily journal entries written by Sam.

www.roxysailing.com

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Fifth of world coral reefs lost


POZNAN, Poland - A downward trend tied to warming seas has not reversed and the world has now lost nearly one-fifth of its coral reefs, according to a global survey released Wednesday.

Much of the rest could be destroyed within 40 years by increasingly acidic seas if warming continues unchecked, the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network stated in its report.

"The report details the strong scientific consensus that climate change must be limited to the absolute minimum. If nothing is done to substantially cut emissions, we could effectively lose coral reefs as we know them, with major coral extinctions," network coordinator Clive Wilkinson said in a statement.

The report was released on the sidelines of the 190-nation U.N. talks on a new climate change treaty. Thousands of delegates are negotiating this week in Poznan, Poland.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which maintains a list of threatened species worldwide, cited warming as the latest and most serious threat to coral, already damaged by destructive fishing methods, nonnative species and pollution like raw sewage.

"If nothing changes, we are looking at a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide in less than 50 years," Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of the IUCN Global Marine Program, warned in a statement. "As this carbon is absorbed, the oceans will become more acidic, which is seriously damaging a wide range of marine life from corals to plankton communities and from lobsters to seagrasses."

"The world has lost about 19 percent of its coral reefs during the last 20 years," added the IUCN's director general, Julia Marton-Lefevre. "If current trends in carbon dioxide emission continue, many of the remaining reefs will be lost in the next 20 to 40 years," she told reporters in Poznan.

"Climate change must be limited to the absolute minimum if we want to save coral reefs. We need to move forward and substantially cut emissions," she said.

Increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, which fuels global warming, is raising the level as well as the temperature of the oceans, said Olof Linden of the World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden. That makes the water more acidic, adversely affecting reef-building coral that rely on calcification to build their shells.


The Associated Press contributed to this report.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28156581/

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Oh, the sights you'll see


BlackBook asked some of the world's finest photographers to share their favorite views. Oh, the sights you'll see: http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/the-view-from-there/1049

Who do you GoodShop for?


As you know, I'm a supporter of the Surfride Foundation and the Junior League of Los Angeles, and as you can imagine nonprofits and schools are facing a fundraising crisis this year.

The good news is that more than 700 of the top Internet retailers and travel sites including Amazon, eBay, Target, Apple, Expedia and more have joined forces with GoodShop.com to donate part of every purchase to your favorite charity or school at no additional cost to you (more than 64,000 nonprofits are now on-board)!

It takes just a few seconds to go to www.goodshop.com, select your charity, and then click through to your favorite store and shop as usual.

Also, Yahoo has teamed up with GoodShop's sister site, GoodSearch.com, to donate a penny to your cause every time you search the web. This is totally free as the money comes from advertisers.

To give you a sense of how the money can add up, the ASPCA has already earned more than $17,000!

Please tell 10 friends about GoodShop and GoodSearch today. They've been featured in the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Oprah Magazine and more.

Charities need our help to spread the word now more than ever!

Bar Refaeli Saves The Beach


Super Model Bar Refaeli, aka Leonardo di Caprio's girlfriend, is participating in the Coronoa Beach Tour. Read more: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/12/09/bar-refaeli-save-beach/

Back from vacation

After a long break from blogging, we are back! We got derailed, but are inspired again and longing for those long, hot days in the surf and on the sand.

Cheers,

Beach Girls Who Blog